Another film-to-TV project is heading into production. James Cameron is producing a TV reboot of his 1994 hit film True Lies for Fox. They’ve agreed to a put-pilot agreement (a deal that means Fox will at least air the pilot as a one-off special if all falls through), with the script set to be written by Marc Guggenheim (Arrow).
Cameron, who wrote, directed and produced the original film, is signed on as executive producer. McG (Terminator: Salvation) will direct the pilot of the series should the script move forward.
The 1994 film starred Arnold Schwarzenegger as a secret government agent leading a double life as a boring computer salesman, while his wife (Jamie Lee Curtis) begins to desire a more adventurous life. The film was the third highest grossing movie of 1994.
The series is set to be “a modern version of the story about how a suburban couple adjusts when one of them is revealed to be a spy”, and it’s easy to see why execs see True Lies as a potential series. Mixing action, romance and globe-trotting adventure, it’s the kind of story that appeals to plenty of demographics.
Whether the show’s budget can match the high-octane thrills the script will likely call for may be a challenge though, as the film was the most expensive movie ever made at the time. Though by todays standards, its budget ($100-$120 million) isn’t too dissimilar to some of the most popular TV shows.
Cameron of course is hard at work on the Avatar sequels, so how much involvement he’ll actually have is debatable. The main reason Cameron is on board is that studios are looking to monetise their film libraries, which is far easier when producers of the original film are on board.
Whether audiences will take to this new film-to-TV fad is debatable, and the results thus far haven’t been too great. True Lies as a film hasn’t aged particularly well, so it’ll be interesting to see if the updated series can put some juice back into the story and make viewers forget that Schwarzenegger isn’t starring in it.
#Peace.Love.TrueLies
